Started August 31, 1999
If you are interested in following a do-it-yourself pregnancy
and birth through from start to finish, bookmark this page and
come back to check the updates. My husband and I are expecting
our 8th baby. We have 5 boys and 2 girls so far, so I would really
love to have a few more girls to try to even the numbers a little.
We had our last 5 babies at home as unassisted births, meaning
there was no doctor or midwife present. We did our own pregnancy
care and birthed at home. At the bottom of this page, you can
find a "netmind" link, where you can give your email
address and you will be notified by email every time this page
changes.

My Pregnancy JournalDue mid-to-end of
May, 2000

July 4, 1999 - first day of a normal cycle, lasting
31 days.

August 5, 1999 - LMP - It was a normal period, lasting
approximately 6 days. Nothing out of the ordinary that
I can remember. Had a negative PG test on August 4.

August 23, 1999 - I noticed that I had had to get
up out of bed to go pee three nights in a row. Curious, as that
is my first pregnancy symptom, but it is only 18 days into my
cycle. Hmmm. Pregnancy is possible, but I won't have a + test
for at least 2 weeks, since I have had negative tests until 5
days late for a period most of my pregnancies.

August 24 - Again, I had to get up to go pee
during the night. Also, I noticed I needed to pee frequently
during the day. (This is my only EARLY pregnancy symptom!!) Really
wondering now, and even mentioned the situation to Scott earlier
in the day. Later on in the day, as I realized that I needed
to pee yet again (!) and I had not been drinking anything more
than usual, I decided to use one of the pregnancy test strips that I sell on my web site. I certainly did not expect
to have a positive result, as I was only 19 days into my cycle,
but I thought it wouldn't hurt to see what would happen.
IT
WAS POSITIVE!!!!
I could not believe my eyes!! I was not really expecting it to
turn positive. I was only 19 days into my cycle!! This
is too weird, I thought. Maybe the test is wrong! So I did another
test with a new sample. STILL POSITIVE!!! Hmmm... these test
strips are really super-sensitive to detect hCG at only 19 days
since LMP!!

But then, as I thought more
about this, I began to wonder if perhaps I was pregnant during
my last period on August 5th. I have heard that some women do
continue to have periods for 3 or 4 months into a pregnancy and
wondered if perhaps I had (that has never happened to me before,
but anything is possible). But from what I have been able to
find, these "periods" are not the usual "period,"
but more like heavy spotting. (If someone reading this has more
info about this phenomenon, please email
me.)

Later on, as I continued to
think about what could be going on, I remembered reading somewhere
that one reason pregnancy tests might have a positive result
early is because the hCG level could be elevated. One reason
that hCG levels could be elevated is that there are 2 or more
babies!! (There are other reasons that hCG could be elevated,
but I like the twin aspect the best!!) Several times over the
last few months, I had prayed that God would bless us with twin
girls since I had been anticipating a pregnancy for sometime.

When Scott got home that evening,
I handed him a note which read:"Congratulations, Scott, on your
Promotion!!!
It has been recently decided, Scott, that you will be receiving
a promotion. You'll still be working in the same area, but with
increased supervisory and quality-control duties. You are to
be congratulated for being considered faithful and being singled
out for this great honor. Your responsibilities will increase
and so will your benefits. You can begin training for this new
position immediately, but the job change will be considered official
around the middle to end of May 2000. Scott, your new job title
will be...Father of Eight!!"

He read it, then asked me
if his promotion also included a raise! I laughed and said, "Yeah!
A raise in the number of gray hairs on your head!"
Then we hugged and he said "Congratulations." Later
on, he told me that he should start calling me "Ovary."
"Why", I asked?
"Because you get pregnant so easy, you might as well
be a walking ovary!" he said.

August 25- After some thought,
I wanted to get a blood test done to get a better idea of how
far along I may be. I called a local lab about having one
done, but, just as I expected, they said I needed to have a doctor
or midwife order the test. I called a couple of midwives in my
area and they both told me that the blood test wouldn't be very
good in this case, because the result is usually so wide-ranging
that it is hard to pin-point a date anyway. They both recommended
an ultrasound as the best method of figuring a more accurate
due date. I told them I would not be having an u/s done (not
for fear of exposure, but for cost, as we do not have insurance
and will not be applying for any medical aid). So their next
best advice was a bi-manual exam, which is a vaginal exam where
the midwife puts one hand in as far as she can reach and lifts
the uterus up, then feels from the outside with her other hand
how big the uterus is. You can usually estimate, within a couple
weeks, how far along a woman is by doing this kind of exam. Well,
this is not for me, either. I have had 7 babies now and have
acquired quite a considerable paunch in my lower abdominal area,
so I know they would have a very hard time feeling my uterus
through it anyay. So I have decided to just wait and see what
happens.

We have done our own prenatal
care for the last 5 pregnancies, why should we do anything different
now?? I am prepared to just go with the flow. If things look
like I am further along, or if it appears to be multiple babies,
we will decide what to do then (our plan is still UC). Otherwise,
I will just go about like this a normal pregnancy and try to
keep this journal updated at least once a month or so, until
toward the end when I will write more often. Okay?? God
bless! 8-31-99

September 2- As I approach the day I would
have expected my period, I worry that it will come anyway. I
have never had a miscarriage before. Don't want one now. This
is one reason I hear people give for not announcing their pregnancy
early. If you lose the baby, you don't have the added grief of
being reminded with cards and emails if nobody even knew! I
am not having any problems to make me feel this way, just general
dread.

Anyway, the only thing close
to morning sickness that I get is loss of appetite. I could be
really looking forward to a particular thing for dinner, then
after a few bites... blah. I don't want anymore. This is
good, in that it helps me to lose all the extra pounds that I
added between pregnancies!

I also lose my taste for coffee.
I know caffiene is not the best thing in the world for the baby,
but I have enjoyed coffee through most of my pregnancies and
have had no problems. I just don't drink as much (instead of
2 cups a day, I only drink 1 a day!). I am not addicted to coffee,
that's for sure!

The kids have wasted no time
in telling the whole neighborhood that we are having another
baby. The lady across the street is nice to me, but I have heard,
through her grand-daughter, that she thinks we have way too many
kids already. I wonder what she said when she heard the most
recent news? Another neighbor said she wishes us luck for another
girl. Yeah! I agree! Make it two girls, please! LOL!

My youngest sister, Ruth,
and her family were on vaction last week when we found out the
news. At church last night, after waiting for her to say
something and thinking perhaps she had not heard yet, I asked
if she heard our news. She screwed up her face in a smirk and
said, very sarcastically, "Yes, I heard. I just can't think
of anything to say about it!"

So this morning, while talking
with another sister, Alice (who is always happy that we are having
another) mentioned that Ruth told her that I had asked if she
had heard the news. Ruth then told Alice how she had responded,
and Alice was appalled. "Ruth!"

"Well, she knows how
I feel about her having more kids! I am losing my sister. Every
time she has another baby, I see her less often!"

Alice and I commented on how
this has nothing to do with me as a sister, but on her attitude
toward kids in general. She has recently gotten the birth-control
implants that are supposed to last for 5 years, because the 2
kids she has already are driving her crazy. I just can not relate
to this attitude at all. Kids are a burden to her, rather than
a blessing. I have heard the way she talks to them, too. It is
so sad. These kids are going to have some major emotional problems
as they get older unless she changes her ways.

So, one sister not happy,
but you know what? I DON'T CARE!!! God sees us as fit enough
to bless our home with another of His precious babies. Who am
I to refuse it. I will love and cherish him/her all the days
of their life. And lots more, too, if God blesses. Even if it
means I never get to spend another day with my sister. With that
kind of attitude, why would I want to spend any time with her,
anyway?

Enough rambling for today.
I've got things to do. Bye. -9-2-99

September 7- 33 days since LMP.
No signs of my period, so I guess I can stop dreading.

The other day, while cooking
breakfast (fried potatoes and fried eggs), I had the biggest
episode of loss of appetite I have ever had. I still didn't feel
any nausea to speak of, but did not really want to finish cooking
the food. After I served everybody, I left the room. It took
several hours before I felt hungry, then I was ravenous! At first
I couldn't find anything that I wanted to eat. Then I spotted
the "Lucky Charms" (well, actually, it was the store
brand of that cereal), and I knew that was it! It definitely
hit the spot. Not even an hour later, it was lunch-time, so I
ate a tuna-fish sandwich, too. YUM! Lots of protein, something
I should eat more of.

That night (or early the next
morning- 3:30 am), I woke up feeling like I was starving to death!
I never eat in the middle of the night, but I needed to do something
to stop the pangs. I got up and put Kenny in the crib (we have
been "helping" him learn to sleep in his crib over
the last week or so), then went to the kitchen to see what I
could have. Nothing looked appealing, so I just went back to
bed. My stomach felt like it was eating itself!! Then I remembered
there was more cereal and I knew that was what I wanted, but
now I did not want to get up again! So I layed there trying to
sleep, but could not because of the hunger. Finally, about 4:15,
I heard Kenny beginning to stir in the kid's bedroom and I knew
he would start crying any minute. I got him and proceeded to
the kitchen where we both enjoyed a big bowl of cereal. I slept
great after that. And when I prepared breakfast (fried potaotes
and eggs again) in the morning, I did not lose my appetite.-9-7-99

September 21- 2 more days until I am 7 weeks.
I feel great. No complaints, except for the constant need to
pee and the fatigue that hits in late afternoon. I try to take
a nap when I can, but that doesn't happen very often. I have
been trying to be more faithful with my vitamin and herbal supplements.

I need to get drinking the
pregnancy tea, but have decided to buy the herbs in bulk and
mix them myself. It is so much cheaper to do it this way, but
there will be the intial expense to buy the herbs. I'm hoping
that Scott will hurry up and bill a company he has done a lot
of web work for. They owe him a lot of money. And I hope that
they pay right away. Then I will be able to place my order.

The kids and I spent a few
hours at my sister Ruth's house today. They purchased their own
place several months ago and I had yet to go over and see it.
She was very tolerant of having the kids around, but I could
tell she had reached her limit by the time we left. We watched
a really funny Tim Allen movie called "Jungle 2 Jungle."
We had never seen it before. The funniest thing about the
movie was watching my kids laugh so hard at the various parts.
They were practically rolling on the floor. We have chosen to
not have a tv in our home, as we have proven to ourselves that
we are couch potatoes when one is available. The only time we
see a movie is if we go to someone else's house.

Kenny is back to our bed full-time.
He just did not take to the crib like I had hoped. I'm not worried
about it. I have plenty of time before the new baby comes to
get him to sleep with one of his siblings. Maybe after he is
weaned, he will no longer feel the need to sleep with momma.
I have never tandem nursed (nursing a newborn and a toddler at
the same time) and don't intend to this time either. We are in
a queen-size bed and Scott only just tolerates Kenny's presence,
as long as he does not wake up with an arm in his face or an
elbow in his back. - Sept
21.

October 21- Today I am 11 weeks
since LMP.

I received an email last week from someone wondering if I was
doing okay, because it had been some time since I last wrote.
I am doing great! The reason I have not written earlier
is because we have had some computer problems, which are still
not fully resolved, but at least I have access to the internet
again. Our computer is nearly 3 years old and has been
giving Scott fits for some time. It really needs to be replaced
and we are praying God will meet this need soon.

Last week, the day after I was 10 weeks, I found that my uterus
had risen up out of my pelvis. I was very excited because, normally
this is not supposed to happen until around 12 weeks. After
mentioning this to the ladies on the UC Forum, I got an email from someone who
is due around the same time as me, and who has also had several
babies. She said that the same thing has happened to her
and that she doesn't think it is twins as much as she thinks
it is just that the uterus has stretched out so many times already,
it just naturally gets bigger faster. Hmmmm. Could be, but still,
this is my 8th pregnancy. It seems like this should have
happened in at least my last pregnancy. If I am remembering right,
I was not able to feel my uterus until around 13 weeks or so.
Needless to say, I am anxiously awaiting some tell-tale
kicks.

Well, during the past few weeks that I was not able to write,
I had many things come to my mind that I wanted to tell you,
but now that I am actually here writing, I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT
THEY WERE! Bummer! Must not have been very important, right?

Oh, yeah! I was finally able to order the herbs that I wanted
to make the pregnancy tea. This tea is loaded with lots
of vitamins and minerals that nourish both me and the baby. It
also has lots of Red Raspberry Leaves, which is an herb that
has been proven to strengthen the uterine and pelvic muscles
and make for an easier and quicker labor and birth. I drank
these same herbs as a tea during my last pregnancy and it was
my fastest, easiest birth. I bought a large batch and am
selling some, if you or anyone you know may be interested. Blessed
Beginnings Herbal Tea for Pregnancy You can buy a very similar tea called Traditional
Medicinal's Pregnancy Tea at most health food stores, but it
is so expensive! It costs over $4 an ounce! I am selling this
tea for $8.50 a pound. Big difference in price, here!

Well, this is all the time I have for now. It is getting
late and I need to get the kids to bed. Until next time,
then! -Oct 21

November 12 - Well,
I have received a few emails saying I need to update this, so
here goes:

I
am now 15 weeks as of yesterday. I think that if I were having
twins, I would have felt some movement by now. The earliest I
have felt any of my babies move was 17 weeks. That was a date
that I happened to write down, though (I may have felt movement
earlier, but I can't recall off the top of my head.). And that
baby was born at only 41½ weeks gestation! I have felt
nothing yet, except for some bowel movement. At first I would
get my hopes up of it being a kick, but it soon became evident
that it was not.

A
few weeks ago, I did "The
Famous Bob & Tom Draino Test" and it said that I am having a girl. I will
not get my hopes up TOO high, but it is nice to think about.
I know that it can't be very accurate, but several ladies said
that it was right for them! We shall see!

I
can now feel my uterus at my belly button. This is not supposed
to happen until much later (usually around 20 weeks), so I still
have the hope that I will have the baby closer to 40 weeks instead
of my usual 42-43.

Kenny
(my 16 month old) is now nearly completely weaned. He nurses
only once or twice during the day (but even that will be cut
out here within the next week or so). He was to the point of
wanting to nurse the entire night through and my nipples were
so sore! I finally have him starting the night out in his sister
Sally's bed. Then he wakes up sometime around midnight-1 am and
I bring him to bed with me. I give him a bottle so he will not
be rooting on me. I will gradually work him into remaining in
Sally's bed the entire night, but I have several months to work
on that.

This is
all I have time for right now. I will update when I feel definite
movement. I guess there a lot of you reading this journal now.
I get several emails a week from different ones. Thats neat!!
Just realize, though, that I am having limited computer time,
so if I don't respond right away, I'm not just ignoring you!
Thanks for your encouraging notes. I like to hear how my pregnancy
is similar to yours. Love to all, ~Charity -Nov 12

November 22- Okay! I only have a couple
of minutes, so I'll write fast. I felt the baby move last Wednesday
night! I'm so happy, because I usually get real worried as the
weeks go by and I don't feel anything. This is earlier than I
normally feel movement, but not much. It was the night before
I was 16 weeks. I was lying in bed while Scott was reading oneof
his computer mags. While I was lying there, I was poking and
prodding my belly, just to see if I could feel anything going
on in there. Suddenly I felt 3 sharp pokes (kicks, really). I
exclaimed to Scott "I just felt it!"

He said, "What?" He didn't even know what I was doing
(he must have figured I was trying to go to sleep).

"The baby! It kicked me!!"

"Good!" then he went back to reading!

I am really having my doubts as to any possiblity of twins now.
Even though this was a little early, I think I would be feeling
lots more movement. This morning the baby was very active.
Must have been doing sumersaults in there, because I could feel
it real good without even poking.

We ordered a fetoscope to listen to the baby's heartbeat and
are awaiting delivery. I can hardly wait to get it, because we
have always used a stethoscope in the past and it is hard to
find the heartbeat until late in the pregnancy.

Well, I need to go get the kids some dinner. Oh, yeah. There
are a lot of you reading now, and someone asked if we homeschool.
Yes, we are a homeschooling family.

Until next time! ~ Charity -Nov.
22

December 9 - Okay, I have a few
minutes to update (there's not a whole lot happening, but I got
several emails telling me I need to update more often!), so here
goes:

We got our fetoscope last week and have listened to the baby's
heart several times. We didn't count or anything, just listened
for for the fun of it. Scott got it out one evening and let the
kids listen. They thought it was really neat! The pregnancy is
becoming more real to them all the time. I am showing more now
and some of the kids have felt the baby kick. They liked that.
My son, Nathan (4 years old), says I'm fat. He's so funny.
Abby (3) is not really interested in what's going on. Kenny
(17 mos) hasn't a clue (poor guy!). But Roy (11 on 30th of Dec.),
Sally (9½), Jason (8), and Jonny (6½) talk about
the coming baby all the time, especially now that it is more
obvious that I am pregnant.

I have wanted my own doppler for several years, but could never
afford to get one (they cost upwards of $500 brand new!). So
I have been watching eBay and finally won a bid for one! YEAH!
I don't have all the money right now, but the seller is allowing
me to make several payments until it is paid for, then he will
send it to me. I don't expect to use it often, but it will be
nice to be able to find the heart tones quick if there is ever
a need to.

There are over 66 people reading this journal. Most of you are
interested in birth in general, while some of you know me personally
and just want to keep tabs on my progress. I was told that I
need to update more often, but I don't know what I would talk
about if I did. I could just ramble about my thoughts and feeling,
I guess, but I feel like that would be a waste of all of our
time. "Just the facts, Ma'am!" Plus, I don't
always have much time to sit here and write. I have several book
ideas I would someday like to start, but just the thought of
the hours that would take really puts a damper on those ideas
real quick.

Well, I should get to bed. Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention how
Kenny is doing sleeping with his siblings! I have him totally
out of my bed now. He has been starting the night with either
Sally or Jason, then coming in to my bed later on in the night.
But the last couple of night, I just put him back in their bed
and he would sleep for a little while longer before trying to
come to me again. The first time it was 5 times I took him back,
and last night only 3. So we'll see how tonight goes. As long
as I never give in and let him stay, he'll eventually catch on
that he is supposed to stay in the bed the whole night!

Okay, now I think I am finished. Until next time, then! ~Charity
-December 9, 1999

January 8- Tomorrow it will be a whole
month since I last posted! Guess I better get busy!

I am past the 22 week point. Baby moves quite a bit and the kids
love to feel him (I have a hunch it's another boy, but hope I'm
wrong!) kick. Sometimes he rolls over with his knee or elbow
sticking out and I can feel the whole pointy lump move across
my belly. It's usually pretty neat (when it doesn't hurt!). He's
had hiccups several times already, and I have begun to feel Braxton
Hicks contractions more frequently.

I am still waiting for my doppler and hope to have it by the
end of next week. It will be fun to hear the heartbeat over a
speaker rather than through ear pieces. Its so hard to locate
sometimes, then when we do locate it, its so faint you have to
really strain to hear it. Also, with a doppler we will be able
to know whether there are two separate heartbeats in there. I
am not expecting there to be two, but I will definitely check
very carefully. I have heard of doctors and midwives missing
twins even though checking with a doppler, so I will probably
have to check several times before I am *really* sure.

I'm pretty big, but haven't
measured my fundal height for a couple months. My fundus is a
good 4-5 inches above my umbilicus, though. Scott likes to mention
how there is someone between us again. And when he hugs me, he
mentions something about the "bump". We will be taking
my blood pressure reading within the next couple of weeks, so
we can have a base-line reading to go by as we approach the end
of this pregnancy. Then if I have any swelling, we can check
to see how my BP is doing. I have never had a problem with high
blood pressure, but realize there is a first time for everything!
We will record my fundal height, too, while we're at it.

I need to be more faithful
with my vitamin and herbal supplements. I always have this problem.
Even though all the bottles are sitting in a neat little row
on the countertop ("so I will see them and remember to take
them every day"), I still manage to forget most of the time.
I usually get better at remembering as I get closer to the end,
when I suddenly realize that they can't give any benefit if they
are not being used.

That's about all I have time
for today. I will try to update a little more often as we approach
the end. I'm over the halfway point!! Yeah! It's all downhill
from here! I hope the time goes quickly, but then slows WWAAAYYY
down when the baby arrives.
- January 8, 2000

February 4 -

TRYING NOT TO GET MY HOPES UP, BUT... we found a heartbeat in
2 different places. (I finally got my doppler earlier this week
- what a long wait!)

At first, when I pointed out
to Scott that I was picking up 2 heartbeats, he said I must be
aiming it at the same spot, so it would be the same baby. Then
he tried it and we found that it was NOT aiming at the same spot.
He is trying to be VERY optimistic, saying that it was probably
only the cord that was being picked up, as the second spot was
not as crisp sounding as the one side (lower right) where we
are sure the (one) baby is.

I am just huge. The other
day when Scott mentioned something about my belly being in the
way, I told him to take a good look at my belly, then realize
that I supposedly have over 3 months left to go. His eyes got
big (he never pays much attention to my pregnancies until I announce
"The baby is due in about 2 weeks" -then he starts
to get real nervous and act real paternally) and he said, "Wow!
You'll end up being out to here!" (hands about 2 feet in
front of me). LOL!

I am 26 weeks yesterday and
32 cm. I have been consistently large for dates, showed early,
felt movement early, tested postive early.

I would really love to have
twins, but it all seems so weird that it *might* be a possibility.
A few months before I conceived, I prayed one of those selfish-type
prayers that you really don't think God will answer, that He
would bless me with twins. Hmmm...

AND... I do have a way to
find out for sure!! An acquaintance of our's used to work for
a place not too far away (well, an hour and a half drive) where
they manufacture ultrasound equipment. They offer *FREE* ultrasounds
to pregnant women, so they can test the equipment to make sure
it passes quality checks. I am hoping to do this. I called the
place today to try to get an appointment, but they didn't return
my call yet. My mom is so anxious to know, too, that she even
said she will take me there and we can make a day of it. We
might as well check out the sex of the baby while we're looking,
too. But I might have to keep that a secret so you'll all have
something to look forward to.

The only MD I found that would
do an ultrasound for me (with no obligation to continue care)
wanted $300. AACKK!! Not! I'd rather wait and be surprised!

I figure getting the US will
also let me know where the placenta is, since I could hear it
low down near the cervix on my left side. It takes about a month
to get an appointment with this place, so by then the placenta
will have moved more toward where it will end up being at labor
time.

I stopped at the local pharmacy's blood pressure machine the
other day and it registered my normal, healthy 106/70 reading.
So far, everything is normal (well, except for being so BIG)
and I am feeling great. I'll write more when I know what's
going to happen! -
Feb. 4, 2000.

February 18-

I am now 28 weeks as of yesterday. In my last update, I said
I had found possibly 2 heartbeats with my doppler and that I
was going to try to get an ultrasound so we could know what we
are dealing with. Well, I finally talked to the lady in charge
of scheduling appointments for that ultrasound manufacturing
company and found that they will not do one for me without what
basically works out to be a "permission slip" from
my doctor. Something to do with not wanting liability if they
found anything wrong. They would want to be able to call my doctor
to let him know there was a problem.

So I called another place I learned about that does $75 ultrasounds,
just so the mother can have pictures/video and find out the sex
of the baby. But this place would not do one without a "permission
slip", either. This really bothered me at first, but I have
come to the point of accepting this as God shutting the door.
If He wanted me to have an ultrasound, it wouldn't be so hard
to get one. Maybe someone will rear-end me in the car and then
I can go to the ER and have their insurance co. pay for me to
see my baby? I'm not worried about it either way.

Scott was feeling my belly last week and there is a lot of space
around the baby. I think if there were 2 babies, there wouldn't
be a whole lot of room like that. Also, I am not really growing
anymore, centimeter-wise. I am still 32 cm. at 28 weeks. I really
think I just have a lot of water. Scott thinks I am a month further
ahead than my dates indicate, as he says the baby is a pretty
good size already, but I will not count on this too heavily.
If I am, then I will get to hold my baby sooner than I originally
thought. If I'm not, then Scott will have a very long month waiting
for me to pop. -Feb. 18,
2000

March 14- In two days,
I will be 32 weeks. YEAH!! Time is going fast now!
There's
not much happening. I'm still big, and feeling bulkier all the
time. When the baby stretches, I get a foot all the way up on
the outside of my rib cage. I feel lots of pressure against my
cervix sometimes, too; almost like the feeling just before the
membranes break.
I just
noticed this evening that my ankles are starting to swell a little.
Its the end of the day, so that's not surprising. This always
happens near the end of my pregnancies. We'll be sure to keep
tabs on my BP and if it is high, we will get some dip-sticks
to watch for protein in the urine.
I
haven't measured my fundal height yet this week, but at 30 weeks
it was 36 cm. We are pretty sure I am going to have this
baby "early." It wouldn't really be early as
far as the baby is concerned, but it would seem early to me.
Particularly after always going late! If my guess is right, I
should really be almost 36 weeks right now. So taking into account
my tendency to go 43 weeks, I might be having this baby within
the next month and a half! That would be wonderful! I'm really
trying not to get too hopeful about this, but I can't imagine
going another 2½ months when I am as big as I am already!
In a way,
its kind of neat to not be real sure when this baby will decide
to show up. It is a fantasy of mine to have this baby when I
am alone. Not that I don't want to share this joyous moment with
my hubby, but there's just something about being alone and nobody
there to "take turns" holding the baby. Nobody to say,
"Don't push yet! You don't want to tear!" That's always
very annoying! Scott is real paranoid about me hemorrhaging after
the birth (this is my eigth baby, after all). He wants to be
there, if only for the help he would be should I bleed too much.
I can understand this. But still, with me not knowing for sure
when to expect this baby, and seeing as my last labor went so fast that my mother and sisters did not get
there in time to see the birth, Scott might not be home when
I go into labor! I could very well have that solo birth! I don't
think I would intentionally not call him if he were away (he
has a cell-phone), but he could be so far away that he wouldn't
make it back in time! Could happen!
Anyway, I haven't given
another thought to seeking an US. I am almost positive that there
is only one baby. I will be just as surprised as everybody else
if there turns out to be two babies.I'll go for now. -March 14, 2000

Kenny (20 months) and I on March 26th,
2000.

Me, relaxing with my feet up - April 2,
2000.

April 13- Well, I have received
several emails saying I need to update. I know, but it is so
hard to find the time. It is 11:15 pm right now. I should be
in bed, but I need to get this updated. I added a few pictures
above so you can see what's up and what I look like.

I am 36 weeks today. I have not measured my fundal height this
week, but last week it was 39 cm. I have been consistently measuring
ahead and Scott is convinced that I am off on my menstrual dates.
I know I am not but do agree with him that I will probably have
the baby by the end of this month.

I was so uncomfortable about a week and half ago that I was almost
in tears at one point wishing this was over already. I always
get a really bad pain in my left lower rib every pregnancy (I
think I might have injured/fractured the rib in a bicycle accident
I had when I was about 11 years old. If so, it was never discovered).
I couldn't get comfortable in bed for several night and almost
went to sleep on the couch so I wouldn't disturb Scott's sleep.
Anyway, this pregnancy has been the worst yet. I cannot bend
over very far without wincing in pain. I have given up even trying
to tie the kids shoes (gave that task to my older 3 kids). I
have to get right down on the floor with Kenny to change his
diaper so I won't have so far to bend over.

But I am not as uncomfortable anymore, and I believe that to
be because the baby has dropped down further. I still get a lot
of pushing up against the ribs, but it is not constant like it
was a couple weeks ago. Several ladies at church have mentioned
that it looks like the baby has dropped. I certainly feel like
it has!

I got the baby clothes out of the shed today and washed and organized
them. It was so fun pulling each item out of the laundry basket
and the kids exclaiming, "Ohhh! Look how tiny!" and
"Did I wear that?" They are really getting excited
now. Even Abby (3½) has been talking about it - "when
the new baby comes, it will be this tiny!" (hands about
5 inches apart, LOL!).

I got my birth supplies ordered and delivered a couple weeks
ago, so now we are ready! I have been taking my herbal supplements
to prepare my body and build my blood supply. Scott is always
worried about a post-partum hemhorrage, so I like to do everything
I can to build my iron stores.

I have been taking Evening
Primrose Oil orally for a couple of weeks. I will begin inserting
them vaginally starting tonight when I go to bed. It is supposed
to soften the cervix in preparation for labor.

Who knows! Maybe my next update will be an announcement! I'm
trying not to get my hopes too high, but I know with all the
differences this pregnancy has had compared to my previous ones,
I really think I am due soon.-April
13, 2000

May 13- I added pictures to the page, but haven't gotten the birth story
done yet. I hope to get it finished by the end of next week.
Keep checking back. I *will* get to it.

Aug 30. -- Due to some major computer and
various other un-related problems, I am unable to add the birth
story at this time. I am fine, baby is GREAT and growing-
19 lbs. at 4 months now. Sorry. I did want to get the
story up in a timely manner, but circumstances have prevented
this.